Henry Darger

A writer friend of mine lost her step daughter to cancer. That's a blow I can't imagine. No parent should bury their child. When we met today, I told her about my own experience losing a friend and how Henry Darger's "method" helped me. I say "method" because its just a theory of mine. Henry Darger was an unknown writer who went unpublished until his death. He worked as a janitor in a hospital but during his free time he would paint and write stories. A few of his characters were based off of girls who disappeared he'd read about in the paper. That's where my theory comes in: I think he was giving them life. Darger loved children and despite his financial and mental state, he tried adoption several times to no avail. But he gave those lost children life in his stories and I think my friend can do the same with her step daughter. Words give life to the things we've lost and its important to remember that words have power.

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